An aging doctor's resentment of his young assistant could lead to tragedy.

When young Dr. David Coleman arrives at a large New York hospital to join the pathology staff, he is greeted with hostility by aging chief pathologist Dr. Joseph Pearson, who regards Coleman's arrival as a personal criticism of his competence. The two men first clash when David demands that three separate blood tests be made to determine whether an expectant mother's blood has become sensitized. Irritated by the young man's superior attitude, Pearson refuses to order the serum necessary for the third test. As the days pass, David becomes emotionally involved with Cathy Hunt, a student nurse troubled by a knee tumor. To determine whether the condition is cancerous, Pearson orders a biopsy. Following an examination, Pearson decides the tumor is malignant and that Cathy's leg must be amputated if her life is to be saved. Though David disagrees, he accepts the older man's diagnosis and persuades Cathy to submit to the operation. Meanwhile, because of Pearson's failure to order the blood test serum, the wife of a resident intern named Dr. Alexander is in danger of losing her newborn child. When the third test is finally made, it is learned that the woman's blood had become sensitized. After bitterly denouncing Pearson for his carelessness, Mrs. Alexander's physician, Dr. Dornberger, makes a desperate effort to save the baby's life by performing an exchange transfusion, total replacement of the infant's blood. Filled with remorse, Pearson submits his resignation. When the Alexander baby survives the transfusion, David tries to persuade Pearson, for whom he has developed a growing respect, to withdraw his resignation. But even though Pearson's diagnosis of Cathy's tumor was correct, he decides that it is time for him to leave. Confident that David is a worthy successor, the old man packs his few belongings and leaves the hospital.